New 2009 Toyota Camry Interior Review [ 2008 , 2007 ]

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Interior - What the Auto Press Says

Most call the 2009 Camry's interior airy and modern. But a handful of reviewers say the Camry's cabin still slightly trails the Accord when it comes to passenger room.

• "A well-utilized interior." -- Car and Driver
• "The cockpit is easily the best of any Camry yet." -- Orlando Sentinel
• "The interior is a work of swank modernity." -- Washington Post
• "Overall, it's hard to find any faults in the Camry's interior, but it's also hard to find anything that really stands out as something we like." -- Left Lane News
• "The Camry's cabin possesses an airier feel, giving the impression of even more space inside than there is." -- Road and Track

Front Seats

Reviewers generally find the Camry's front seats are better than previous generations, but don't provide enough support.

• "Combining that steering wheel -- which finally telescopes -- with a driver's seat that now goes farther back than ever before means nearly anyone can get comfortable." -- Automotive.com
• "The Camry's driving position is good but we found the seats to be uncomfortable due to a large lumbar support that didn't have any kind of adjustment." -- Left Lane News

Rear Seats

Though the Camry's cabin is more spacious than ever, there are those who say it doesn't offer enough room for rear seat passengers.

• "The already ample rear-seat legroom is up by half an inch in the new model." --Newsday
• "Taller folks will likely find the lower seat cushions just too short, and the backrests are noticeably devoid of mid-back support." -- BusinessWeek
• "The Camry easily holds four people, but I wouldn't want to be the fifth, squeezed in the back seat for more than an hour or so." -- San Francisco Chronicle

Interior Features

Experts say the 2009 Toyota Camry provides plenty of practical standard features, regardless of trim.

• "As far as features go, the list is long and complete. Even the base CE comes equipped with a decent array of standard goodies." -- Automobile.com
• "Gauges are large and legible. The control layout is logical after brief acclimation. Cabin materials are generally solid and serviceable." -- Consumer Guide
• "The three rotary HVAC controls are even larger and equally intuitive and can be adjusted while you're wearing gloves." -- Car and Driver
• "The standard upholstery is one of few Camry features that feel dated. It screams polyester, like hotel furniture. Very modern digital electronics offer the latest features, and audio controls on the steering wheel are standard. Other controls are within easy reach, with minimal clutter." -- U.S. News

Stereo and Entertainment

The 2009 Toyota Camry has a comprehensive list of standard audio features, as well as optional equipment like the JBL premium stereo that's standard on the high-end XLE trim. But many reviewers find the setup difficult to operate or enjoy.

• "All audio systems have MP3 and WMA playback capability, digital sound processors, and an auxiliary input for iPod and other portable audio devices. Bluetooth and GPS navigation are available as options." -- CNET
• "This Camry was armed with the JBL Premium Audio system, which adds XM or Sirius radio, 6-disc CD capacity, increases speaker count to eight…and watts to 440. It sounds perfectly punchy when playing any digital source (CDs, MP3s) but the benefits to FM aren't especially clear; even less clear is why any sane individual would shell out the $1,000 Toyota's asking." -- Automotive.com
• When operating the stereo along with the navigation system, A Car Place reports, "Turn the radio dial and you expect to hear something change, not a few seconds of silence before the next station comes on. Accomplishing simple tasks such as changing bass and treble was unnecessarily hard and involved a lot of distraction from the road and reading of the screen."-- A Car Place

Navigation

The Camry's optional navigation system looks good, but is counterintuitive to operate. The most frequent complaint is that is complicates audio functions and is hard to program.

• "The nav system was easy to program and understand." -- Newsday
• In contrast, Consumer Guide's team report, "The navigation system is easy to program, but it absorbs and complicates some audio functions." -- Consumer Guide
• NCTD weighs both positives and negatives. "The pastel blue-green lighting around the optional navigation system reminds us of Miami Beach, and we love the separate on/off switches for the audio and navigation systems. The dual switches are a departure from most other vehicles today, which have a single on/off switch. So if you want the nav but no audio, you have to crank the volume all the way down, and still run the risk of picking up interference." -- New Car Test Drive
• "The navigation system/stereo on our vehicle desperately needed a usability expert's time, and quite a bit of it. Though the screen is very attractive, with shadowing for detail, it proved to be rather hard to accomplish many simple tasks, and the tendency of the unit to respond with slowness did not help." -- A Car Place

Cargo

Instead of focusing on how the 14.5 cubic feet of available cargo space inside the 2009 Toyota Camry relates to others in the class, most auto experts give a favorable report of the usefulness of the interior stowage areas.

• "Trunk space is adequate. Compared to the competition, Camry's maximum trunk space of 15 cubic feet trails all but the Accord." -- New Car Test Drive
• "The trunk shows signs of cost-cutting, though; grocery hooks are jammed into a corner, where they are almost useless, and the pass-through area when the seats are folded down is tiny." -- About.com
• "There's a nice selection of cubbies and compartments to collect whatever personal effects that may be accompanying you." -- Edmunds
• "Storage cubbies are plentiful and there are two 12-volt outlets in the console." -- Kelley Blue Book